Bingo Runner: The Chase Through Time Part 2

Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.

The man with the crystal continued to take in the scene. He looked around, seeing, feeling, and yes even tasting the very environment around him. He rounded the bend on the stairs, slowly taking in all that was before him. He'd never been here before yet he felt he knew the place intimately. He saw a body at the bottom; a body he again knew all too well. As he walked down the stairs he felt nauseous, but the sickness was to be expected. Time travel always took its toll on the jumper. Though the elapsed time was approximately ten seconds, it was ten seconds that took place over the span of countless years, sometimes eons on end, and the internal clock that we are all born with always suffered a result.

Clearing his head of the nausea, he continued walking. There was blood all over the floor, but the body was not gruesome. He looked as though he were simply knocked out, resting on the floor. As Rob squatted next to the body, he was overwhelmed by nausea, the time travel sickness. He vomited into a nearby waste basket. decided he had lingered long enough. He needed a drink. Realizing his thirst, he found some solace in the fact that water was easy to come by in this age. He was excited.

Wandering out into the streets, he let the air again clear his head. The odorless air was not something he was accustomed to, but it was nice and refreshing. He knew who he had come to find, but had not the foggiest idea where to begin. Rob was grateful for his training in reconnaissance, and decided the best place to start was the news. Glancing around, he saw a local café and went for it. The streets were unusually busy he noticed. People buzzed about like bees.

Seating himself at a booth, he ordered a pitcher of water and a newspaper. The waitress gave him an odd look at his request, but nodded and carried on with her duties. He checked his watch, but realized the time couldn't possibly be right. Checking the clocks around the café, he managed to find himself the correct time. Time was a term Rob had learned to take lightly, as he never knew what tomorrow held in store for him. Reading the paper, he heard the jingle of a bell in the entranceway.

Glancing up, he saw a beautiful woman walk in. He felt an immediate connection, and although he considered himself a shy fellow, he knew better than to ignore those impulses. In the future where Rob had grown up, humans had evolved to communicate emotions on a digitelepathically, and although not a part of this time, there were still sometimes inklings and notions, which Rob never ignored.

He drank some water, and decided to talk to the woman, who was having a coffee at the counter. He walked up, trying his best to look calm and non-threatening.

"Hello Miss, how do you do this fine day?" he asked, as he helped himself to a stool beside her.

"Well sir," she said, looking him over just once, "I've been better to be sure, but I suppose it's time for a fresh start," she said with a half smile. She had striking eyes, and Rob couldn't help but feel calm around her.

"Well I'm glad to hear it, a fine young woman like yourself doesn't deserve anything but the best," Rob said, smiling all the while.

"Well aren't you the gentleman?" She said, smiling back. "Do you have a name, my fine café charmer?"

"I'm Rob," he said. "You are?"

"You can call me Phoenix. It's a pleasure to meet you, Rob."

Stay tuned next week for Part 3 of Bingo Runner: A Chase Through Time.

Read the first episode of Bingo Runner :
Bingo Runner: A Chase Through Time Part 1